Freaks and Geeks
by jilys
Summary: Jolted by the death of her grandmother, Riley Ward abandons her old life as a 'geek' and fights the one-girl battle of Hogwarts, befriending a known group of mischievous boys called 'The Marauders'. Eventual Remus/OC. Lightly based on TV show 'Freaks and Geeks'. (Better summary inside)
1. Pilot

**A/N:** Hello there! So this is my first ever fanfiction here and to be honest I'm quite nervous to be posting this as I'm very self-conscious about my writing but I'm so in love with the idea of this story that I _had_ to post it. This story is lightly based on the tv show "Freaks and Geeks" and you really don't need to watch it in order to read this (even though you should, the show is absolutely brilliant) but I am a huge fan of it and I kinda came up with the idea to adapt it a bit to the Harry Potter world, mainly in the Marauders Era. Hope you enjoy and please leave a review!

 **Summary:** The story centers around Riley Ward, who early in her academic career was recognized as a bright witch, however, when her grandmother dies, she starts questioning if being a good student is all that matters and tries distancing herself from every aspect of her old life. She quits an academic tournament within Hogwarts, avoids her former best friend, Millie and starts hanging out with four people she never thought she would – the Marauders. Who knew she would end up falling in love with one of them?

* * *

They say there are 5 stages of grief. Riley Ward went through them all in her summer holidays, realizing there was actually a secret sixth one - rebellion. When her grandmother died, her family noticed how different she had become. She lost her interest in school, stopped talking to her best friend Millie, changed the way she dressed - never taking her dad's old leather jacket off - and almost quit her position as a Hogwarts prefect, thankfully her parents forced her to at least maintain her badge. What surprised them the most was when she stopped being a Wetter. And by that I mean, she quit the WET (Wizard's Exceptional Tournament), a contest within Hogwarts to find the smartest House of the year. It was a prestigious academic tournament that guaranteed Riley a spot in every job she wished. It pretty much had the same hype for her and her friends - and also for all the geeks in Hogwarts - as Quidditch had for the rest of the school.

It was with the realization that Riley had a desire to become a "burnout" - in her parents' words - that they signed her up for a guidance counselor at Hogwarts. She was _really_ looking forward to her sixth year.

"Okay, do you have everything? Books, your wands, your luggages?" Riley's mother asked her and her brother Wesley before they entered the Hogwarts Express.

Wesley rolled his eyes at her. "Yes mum, we have everything."

"Are you sure?" their father asked with a smirk. He quickly took a toad from his pocket making Wesley widen his eyes in realization. "You're entering your fourth year Wesley, you need to be more careful."

"JESUS!" He screamed.

"I still don't get why you called your toad Jesus." Riley chuckled rolling her eyes.

"For the last time, it's pronounced Hey-soos, not Jesus. He's not the Son of God, he's a toad."

"I told you that trip to Spain was a bad idea." Riley joked to her parents.

"Come here sweeties, have a nice trip." their mother said forcing them to hug her.

"Hey-soos mum, you'll see us in three months." Riley said, making Wesley laugh.

"Yeah, and in those three months you better not get in trouble." threatened her father.

"Why are you so sure I'll get in trouble?"

"Because missy-" her mother started but was interrupted by the sound of the train honking.

"I would love to hear the rest of that lecture but we have to go. Bye!"

After their mother engulfed them into another hug, Riley and Wesley bid their farewell to their parents before quickly entering the train.

Wesley immediately started peeking at every compartment to see if he could find his friends. "Do you see Nathan or Ben?" Riley asked her brother.

"No, I can't see them. Merlin, every compartment is full." he complained.

"Here, I know someone who's in this one."

"No!" Wesley said as he noticed who was in that compartment, but it was too late. Riley had already opened the door.

"Hey, you don't mind we seat here right?"

"No, not at all." Remus Lupin, Riley's fellow prefect, said smiling at her.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Wesley, the weasel. Don't be afraid we won't bite, you can seat here." Sirius Black said with a grin as Wesley hesitantly took his seat next to Riley.

"Wesley, the weasel? I expected more from you, Black." Riley smirked.

"Riley!" Wesley complained hitting her arm.

"What do you suggest, Ward? Nice jacket by the way." commented James Potter, referring to her dad's old leather jacket.

Riley rolled his eyes at him and ignored his comment "As much as I'd love to sit here and make fun of my brother, Remus and I unfortunately have to go to the prefect's meeting and patrol the corridors."

"Oh right! We'll see you guys later."

"Riley, don't leave me here alone with them!" Wesley begged as he noticed the grins on the Marauders faces.

"Wes, they won't hurt you, right guys?" she asked the grinning boys.

"No, as Sirius said, we don't bite." Peter said.

"Yeah, I was _serious_ about that." Sirius joked making everyone groan.

"What's your toad's name?" Riley heard James ask before she closed the compartment door.

"So… Riley how was your summer?" Remus asked trying to make conversation as they made their way to the prefect's compartment.

"Oh. It was fine," she said. She wasn't really in the mood to get into her grandmother's death, which was all she could think about during summer. "How was yours?"

"It was a lot of fun. James and Sirius stayed at my house for a few weeks, much to my parent's dismay." he said making Riley laugh. The boys were known for their mayhem, she could imagine her parents faces if the Marauders ever entered her house. They would end up destroying every antique her mother so carefully treasured.

"We're here." Remus said opening the compartment door.

"Oh, yay." Riley groaned.

* * *

After they arrived at Hogwarts, Riley had only one goal - avoid Millie. She had ignored all her owls during the summer holidays and now she was sure Millie would follow her everywhere to make sure Riley was fine and ready to join the WET. Unfortunately she still had to share a dorm with her so she was trying to at least avoid her when not forced to be with her. With that, she joined the Marauders during dinner since they were the only few people she was acquainted with apart from the other members of the WET.

"So my foot's totally stuck in there right, I'm freaking out, the dog's having a seizure and I still got half a pie left." James finished telling his story as the boys and Riley were hysterically laughing, trying not to choke on their food.

"Merlin's beard, Prongs! You sly dog!" Sirius joked.

"That's more you, Padfoot." Remus chuckled making the others laugh. Riley could only guess it was an inside joke. Or a reference to Sirius' behaviour towards women.

"Why do you guys have those nicknames by the way?"

"Oh, that's a story for another time." Peter smirked eyeing Remus, making Riley look at him with a confused look.

"Hey Riley." she heard a voice say behind her. Bloody hell, so close…

"Hey Millie." she smiled, quickly turning her face to her food.

"Can I talk to you in private please?" Millie asked glaring at the four boys.

"Oooh, Riley is in trouble." James sang.

"Fine." she sighed, making her way to the Great Hall's entrance with Millie. "What's up?"

"Why have you been ignoring my owls?" Millie asked.

"Look, I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone, don't take it personally."

"I'm your best friend, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You ignore my owls, avoid me during dinner and start hanging out with those four gits?"

"They're actually very good people. At least they make me laugh."

"Good people? Riley, their hobbies include bullying your brother. And what is it with that rumor that you quit the WET?"

Riley sighed. "It's not a rumor, I did quit."

"What is happening Riley?" Millie asked, only receiving silence as an answer. "I thought we promised each other back in first year, we would share everything."

Riley rolled her eyes at her. "People change, Millie."

"Yeah you're right. People do change." she said going back to her seat.

Riley made her way to the Marauders and sat with a groan when she realized she still had to show the first years their way towards the common room. "I hate being a prefect." she mumbled.

"Why didn't you resign?" Peter said with his mouth full of food, earning a punch on his arm from Sirius.

"My parents forced me since I had already quit the WET competition."

"The _what_?" Sirius and James shouted as Peter choked on his food.

"Have you guys been living under a rock?" Remus asked.

"Is that some sort of wet robes contest?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

" _No._ It's an academic tournament within Hogwarts to decide which house has the best knowledge in every class. We have to answer questions about all the subjects we've been taught since first year."

"So, Quidditch for geeks." Sirius joked.

Riley laughed. "Yeah, pretty much."

"So, that's where you've been the past six years. I was wondering why we had never talked with you before." James said.

"I have talked with you before. Gave you detention last year for walking in the corridors after curfew."

" _Oh right…_ now I remember." He said making Riley laugh.

"Yeah, my 'geeky' days are now over, so don't worry."

"That's great, because we need another prefect on our side to help us with all the mayhem." Sirius said earning a kick on the leg from Remus.

"About that. Could you give my brother and his friends a break?" she knew that the Marauders picked on Wesley and his mates whenever they had the opportunity. If she was befriending them, might as well make Wesley's life a bit easier.

"Oh sure. He's a good kid." Peter said with a smile.

At last, the food had disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet making the hall fall silent.

"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Marauders. Sirius winked at him, earning a chuckle from those around them.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. And finally, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

Riley sighed and gave Remus a shy smile as the Gryffindor first years followed them through the crowds, out of the Great Hall and up the staircase as they made their way to the common room, but were interrupted by a ghost screaming.

"PEEVES!" Riley yelled. She was not in the mood to deal with him. "Peeves, you bloody turd, go away!" she yelled making the first years laugh.

"Riley.." Remus muttered.

"Is your name Sabrina?" Peeves said.

"Sabrina?"

"Yes, Sabrina the teenage bitch." he said earning a laugh from the muggle-borns in the group.

"Oh my, that's actually brilliant." Remus chuckled.

"Don't encourage him!" Riley said. "Go away Peeves, or I'll tell the Bloody Baron."

"Fine, you little tattle-tale." the poltergeist said blowing raspberries and zoomed away, rattling coats of armor as he passed the corridors.

"You want to watch out for Peeves, he's a wanker." said Riley as they set off again, making the group of first years laugh.

"You have to stop swearing in front of 11 year olds." Remus whispered.

"Like they don't do it." Riley said earning a chuckle from Remus.

"Here we are." Remus said when they reached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Password?" she asked.

"Chocolate Frogs." answered Remus, making the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. The first years all scrambled through it and found themselves in the cozy Gryffindor common room.

"Okay, girls follow me to go to the dorms. Boys, follow Remus."

"Goodnight Riley." Remus smiled.

"Goodnight." Riley smiled back as the small group of girls followed her to the girls dorms.

"They are such a sweet couple." a small girl said to her friends.

"I heard that! And we're not together." Riley yelled making them blush and laugh. "Anyways, here we are, the parchments Professor McGonagall gave you will tell you which dorm is yours. Goodnight and don't leave your rooms!"

"Goodnight." the girls screamed in unison, excitingly making their way to the respective dormitories.

When Riley reached her room's door she took a deep breathe before entering it. Millie was lying down on her bed, reading a book. Her other roommates, Lily Evans and Alice Price were seating on Alice's bed talking. They weren't very close with Riley, but were still very nice to her.

"Hey Riley, how are you?" Alice asked.

"Fine, what about you guys?"

"Great, excited to be back at Hogwarts!" Lily cheered.

Riley quickly glanced at Millie who was now lying on her bed, possibly pretending to be asleep. She noticed Lily and Alice's confused glances. Riley and Millie had been best friends for 6 years and they were founding strange the fact that the two girls hadn't shared a word.

"I'm going to sleep. Long day." Riley said quickly changing into her pyjamas and lying on the bed.

"Goodnight." Alice and Lily said, as Millie remained silent.

* * *

After the first class - Transfiguration - Riley quickly rummaged through the crowd to make sure Professor McGonagall didn't notice her but it was in vain as she heard the old woman yell her name.

"Riley, please stay, I'd like to speak with you."

"Of course, professor." she sighed.

"Already in trouble. I like her." James chuckled as he stepped out of the classroom with the boys following him.

"It has come to my attention that your parents have requested you to see our guidance counselor. I'm surprised, Riley. I was also not expecting you to quit the Wizard's Exceptional Tournament."

"Yeah, I was a bit sick of being called a Wetter." she chuckled hoping the professor would find her comment funny, but it wasn't the case.

"Riley, you are one of the smartest students I've ever had the pleasure to teach, you have a great future ahead of you, I wouldn't want you to waste your talent because of what happened." she sighed lowering her voice. "I know it's a delicate subject but-"

"Professor, I appreciate the concern but I'm not returning to the tournament."

"Very well." she sighed. "Professor Trelawney is expecting you."

"Trelawney, the divination teacher? She's my guidance counselor? But she's my age!" Riley said. Oh boy, was she in for a treat.

"Yes, well… She thought it would be a good idea since she feels more connected to the students… Good luck, you'll need it." Professor McGonagall said.

"Indeed." Riley sighed making her way to professor Trelawney's office.

When she knocked on her office door she heard the professor scream her name.

"Riley! Come in, my Inner Eye told me you were arriving."

"Or maybe your schedule did…" Riley mumbled under her breath.

"My Inner _Ear_ heard that. Sit down." she said as Riley did so. "Very well, tell me my dear, what is bothering you?"

"Can't your Inner Eye figure that out?"

"Well, it has come to me that you have lost a great person close to your heart," she said closing her eyes with a focused look on her face. "Perhaps… a grandmother?" she said, after quickly looking at her desk before closing her eyes again.

Riley looked at her table and saw parchments laying there. "That is literally on my file!" she snapped.

"Riley, I'm sure your grandma was very proud of you, wouldn't you want her to continue to be proud? You can still be apart of the Wizard's Exceptional Tournament, the deadline isn't until the end of the week."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE STUPID TOURNAMENT." Riley screamed. "I'm so sick of having my future dictated. Plus, my grandmother isn't here right now, I have no obligation to make her proud. She's dead."

"Riley-"

"Have a good day." Riley said before exiting the office and entering the school grounds. She noticed the Marauders sitting under a tree next to the lake.

"Hey." she greeted them with a sigh as she grabbed some rocks at started throwing them to the lake.

"Killing merpeople won't cheer you up." Sirius chuckled.

"Want to be next?" she groaned.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked her as he got up and made his way to her.

"Stupid school," _SPLASH_ "Stupid professors," _SPLASH_ "Stupid Guidance Counselor" _SPLASH_ "Stupid friends!"

"Hey! We're your friends!" Peter said.

"What?" Riley quickly turned to face them as she heard those words.

"At least she doesn't talk rubbish about us behind our backs." James chuckled.

"I wasn't- you guys consider me a friend?" she asked confused. She did need friends at that time, considering she was completely alone now that she was avoiding Millie.

"Of course! What do you think we are? Next door neighbours?" Remus joked trying to cheer her up.

"Thank you." she said as she gave Remus a hug.

"Oh, you're welcome." he said patting her on her back.

"Hey, what about us?" Peter chuckled making her laugh.

"What's on your mind, do you want us to hex anyone?" James asked.

"Unless you'd be able to turn Professor Trelawney into the little rat she is then fine by me."

"Oh, Peter would love that." James joked. Riley didn't notice Peter's red face as she ignored the comment and continued to throw rocks at the lake.

"I mean, what does she know? She's 18! I'm pretty sure she's not even old enough to be a teacher…"

"She's old enough to teach me some things…" Sirius smirked.

"You aren't, though." Remus joked.

"Well, I wouldn't mind touching her Inner-"

"MATE!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I really hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! I promise the following ones are going to be way better. And please review and leave as many constructive criticism as you can, I know I'm not the best writer around but I really hope I can improve. :)


	2. Cheers and Butterbeers

**A/N:** Thank you so much for those who reviewed, followed and/or favourited the story! It really means a lot! Anyways, here's the second chapter, hope you enjoy it!

* * *

"We all know that the Quidditch season is arriving." Professor Slughorn said as cheers were heard throughout the Great Hall. The Hall was turned into what looked like an auditorium. The seats were all filled with students for the annual assembly to bring awareness to alcohol poising. "And as such, the victory parties will arrive as well."

"And don't think we don't know what goes on on those parties, we were also students once." McGonagall threatened.

"Imagine Minnie getting pissed at the astronomy tower." James whispered.

Riley scoffed. "It really is concerning how you call her that."

"I know some of you like to crash into my office and steal alcohol from my firewhiskey collection-" Professor Slughorn continued.

"Sir, the real issue here is the fact that you own a firewhiskey collection in your office" Sirius loudly stated earning laughs from all the students.

"BLACK. DETENTION. MY OFFICE. TODAY. 6PM!" McGonagall screamed. "10 points from Gryffindor!" she yelled making the Gryffindors groan.

"Anyways…" Professor Slughorn continued, glaring at Sirius. "If any of you is caught with alcohol, you will face suspension. And no, Avery," he said when he caught Avery putting his hand in the air to ask a question. "It doesn't matter if you're overage. Now I know what you're thinking: 'Professor Slughorn, you don't understand. If I don't drink, I won't be cool!' Well, you know what I say to that? Maybe if you don't drink, you _will_ be cool."

Remus chuckled. "10 galleons says he's drunk right now."

"Well, if you turn into Slughorn when you're drunk then he's right. You really aren't cool." Riley joked.

"But if you still think drinking is cool…" Professor Slughorn said as the lights went down and a picture of a girl appeared next to him. "Why not ask Jenny Powell if drinking is cool. Oh, that's right, you can't ask her... because she crashed into the knight bus this winter flying drunk after a New Years party."

"And you can't ask John Yablonsky either." McGonagall said as another picture appeared. "He died from alcohol poisoning at a party."

"Or Kenny Blake who overdosed…" Professor Slughorn continued as the Marauders, Riley and the rest of the Great Hall groaned.

* * *

"So… are you coming to the Quidditch match tomorrow?" Remus asked Riley as they made their way to the common room after patrolling the corridors at night.

"Hm… I guess… if you're going." she answered with a smile.

"Yeah, I am."

"I- huh- who's playing?" she hesitantly asked. Even though she had been at Hogwarts for six years, she still didn't know the Quidditch schedule, as she was never really interested in sports.

"Gryffindor vs Slytherin. Riley, where have you been for the last six years?" Remus chuckled.

She laughed. "Studying. I don't really find sports that interesting."

"If James heard you right now, he'd hex you into eternity." Remus joked. "Let me guess, you're a muggle-born?"

"Half-blood, actually. My mum is a muggle-born and she's the one who's excited about sports in the family. She taught me the basics of Quidditch but she focused more on football and rugby. My dad's a wizard but he isn't very fond of sports."

"That's funny, my parents are the contrary. Mum's a muggle, dad's a wizard, and he's _very_ fond of sports. He was a bit disappointed to hear I wasn't joining the Quidditch team."

"Why don't you try out?"

He chuckled at the thought, "I'm not very fit for sports. I'm a bit lanky, you see."

"I think you're cute nonetheless." Riley spoke, surprising herself and Remus. She wasn't usually this confident, and right now both of them were glad the corridors were so dark so that the blush on their cheeks wouldn't be recognizable. Riley quickly changed the subject in order to stop herself from embarrassing her even more.

"Password?" The Fat Lady asked them as they reached the portrait.

"Chocolate Frogs." Riley answered making the door open.

"Goodnight Riley, see you at the match." Remus smiled as they entered the common room.

"Of course, goodnight Remus." Riley smiled back, making her way to her dormitory.

When Remus reached his dormitory he was faced with three smirks.

"What?" he asked them.

"What are you smiling about?" James sang teasingly.

"Nothing." Remus said lying on his bed. Truth be told, Riley's compliment had never left his mind. It wasn't every day a girl called him cute, at least not to his face. He was used to girls being all over James and Sirius. But not a lot of girls found his lanky looks attractive, and the scars on his face and body didn't exactly help with his confidence.

"We were watching you on the map…" Sirius started.

"That's not creepy at all." Remus groaned. He knew where this was going.

"You never left Riley's side…" James said. "Which is funny, I thought prefects were supposed to patrol different corridors."

"Well… she's scared of the dark…" Remus lied.

"She wasn't scared of the dark last year…" Peter teased, making Remus groan.

"Wait, how often do you guys actually watch me on the map?"

* * *

Riley had obviously been to a Quidditch match before, however as she sat there with Remus and Peter cheering for her friends who were playing, she fell more into the spirit of the whole thing like she had never fell before. They were all singing "GO GRYFFINDOR!" and "LIONS FOR THE CUP" along with the rest of the scarlet side of the stadium.

"And here are the Gryffindors," yelled Liam Johnson; apparently he was the usual commentator of the games. "Captained by Potter, widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years, let's hear it for the chasers Potter, Black and Jordan, Beaters Coote and Peaks and Seeker, Lynch!"

Liam's comments were drowned by a tide of "boos" from the Slytherin end.

"And here comes the Slytherin team, led by Captain Malfoy."

This time, boos were heard from the Gryffindor crowd.

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch.

Malfoy and James approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers.

"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one..."

The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. However, after 40 minutes, the Gryffindor's excitement quickly faded and was replaced by frustration as Slytherin kept getting away with more and more fouls.

"OH, COME ON HOOCH, OPEN YOUR EAGLE EYES!" Riley screamed.

"Merlin, Riley, didn't know you had it in you." Remus chuckled.

"There's a lot of stuff you don't know about me, Lupin." she smirked.

"Oh stop with the flirting and pay attention to the match." Peter groaned making them both laugh.

"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal - Rosier scores -" Liam groaned. "Seventy- twenty to Slytherin…"

And then suddenly, the Gryffindor and Slytherin's seekers were fighting their way to catch the Snitch. Mulciber, the Slytherin seeker, threw himself forward, took both hands off his broom, knocked Lynch out of the way and -

"NO!"

Slytherin had won the match.

* * *

"This sucks… I really thought we would win this match." Sirius groaned as they were all sitting at the Great Hall eating lunch.

"Stop talking…" James muttered. He was furious about the result of the game.

"I bet Slytherin is going to have such a brilliant party… Why did I have to rebel from my family and get sorted into Gryffindor?" Sirius joked.

"Will you stop?!" James screamed punching the table earning a glare from professor McGonagall.

"I hope they don't drink too much… Charlotte Summers is so pretty, it would be a bummer if anything happened to her." Wesley said. Him and his friends liked to sometimes sit with Riley and the boys during meal times. It stopped the teasing from their classmates since apparently, the Marauders were very respected by the younger Gryffindors. Or were afraid to be the next ones on their hit list.

"Riley, your brother has a crush on a Slytherin, permission to hex him?" James joked.

Riley rolled his eyes at him. "Permission denied."

"Honestly, Wes, Charlotte isn't even that pretty… Gryffindor rules!" Nathan cheered trying to get the attention of the Marauders.

"Yesterday you said Charlotte Summers was the prettiest girl you've ever seen. Well, apart from Ril-" Ben started but was interrupted by a kick from Nathan's side.

"Need any help with the ladies, Wes? I could help." Sirius said winking at him.

At Sirius' remark, Riley immediately objected. "No way, Black. I'm not letting you turn my little brother into a mini-loser like yourself."

"Check out Abraham's look." Riley heard Nathan whisper to Ben and Wesley "He's so jealous we're sitting next to the Marauders… All thanks to your sister, I grow more in love with her every day that- OUCH!"

"Oops sorry, Nathan, my bad." Remus apologised with a fake smile, making Riley snort.

"We need to do something. Slytherin's victory is killing me. We have to ruin their party." James groaned.

"And how would you do that?" Riley asked. She had never pulled a prank on anyone before. Well, apart from her brother but that didn't really count.

"We could pass by Zonko's and buy some Dungbombs." Peter suggested. "We'd make their common room all smelly."

"If that happens, they'll just move the party to the Astronomy Tower." Remus reasoned.

"I kind of have an idea…" Wesley said.

"Spit it."

"Well, hm… maybe we could hm… trade their alcohol with non-alcoholic beverage?" he hesitantly asked.

Nathan groaned. "You're just saying that because you don't want Charlotte Summers to get drunk and snog Pucey."

"Eh, say his name again." Peter chuckled, making Riley and Remus roll their eyes.

James beamed. "No, that's actually a great idea."

"Well, yeah! I just meant-"

"Sure Noel. Let Wesley finish." James commanded.

"It's Nathan-"

"Well, we could pass by The Three Broomsticks," Wesley continued "and buy non-alcoholic butterbeer. But the tricky thing would be trading the kegs. Plus it's not even a Hogsmeade weekend…"

"Don't worry about the Hogsmeade part, we have our methods… Hey, Riley. Aren't you supposed to be great at transfiguration?" Sirius asked.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Do you think you could trade the kegs?" Peter inquired.

"Yeah, but I-"

"Then that's it!" James smiled.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Remus asked Riley with a worried look. He noticed she was a bit hesitant.

"Hm… yeah sure. Let's do it!"

* * *

After a long trip to Hogsmeade, followed by weird looks from other people wondering as to why five teenagers were carrying kegs with 'NON-ALCOHOLIC BUTTERBEER' labeled on them, they were currently huddled up by the entrance of the Slytherin common room.

"Okay, no one is coming. Do it now." Sirius said. "And make sure you switch the alcoholic kegs to our dorm."

"Right…" Riley said focusing; this would be a tricky spell. "Recensere"

Nothing.

" _Recensere"_ she repeated focusing harder.

Nothing.

She could feel Remus' breath on her neck. It was distracting her.

" _Recensere"_ she forcibly said.

"Look, they're gone!" Peter screamed motioning to the vanished space that the non-alcoholic butterbeer had been taking up. "This is great, they're going to have the lamest party ever!"

"Thanks Riley, you're brilliant!" Sirius and James exclaimed.

Remus smiled, "Yeah, you truly are a talented witch."

"Thanks… I had never really used my _talent_ for mayhem so this is exciting." she said as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room. "I'm a bit worried, though…"

"About what?" Peter asked.

"Four boys and six kegs of butterbeer? That's never a good idea." she chuckled.

"That's why you'll be joining us, Ward." Sirius smirked, as Riley immediately grew nervous. Never in her life would she think of drinking butterbeer in the boys' dormitory. If only Millie knew…

* * *

"I got one, I got one." Riley screamed after her 5th butterbeer. They were all currently on the Marauder's dormitory sitting down on the floor, playing truth or dare. They weren't exactly drunk, just a bit merrier than usual.

"Sirius, I dare you to go to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom down on the first floor and ask her to snog."

"She'll make my ears bleed!"

"Either that or you have to kiss Peter."

Sirius sighed getting up, "Fine. But after this I'm making you snog Moony."

 _It wouldn't be that bad,_ Riley thought.

"Where's the map?" Sirius asked.

"Here." James said handing him a piece of parchment.

"What's that?" Riley asked Remus as they all made their way to the first floor, Sirius leading the way pointing his illuminated wand to the parchment.

"Oh, last year we created this map of Hogwarts - The Marauders Map - it pretty much tells us the location of every one in the castle." Remus stated proudly.

"Wow! That's brilliant!" Riley marveled. She knew they weren't dumb, but she had no idea those four boys would be such geniuses. Or at least, that they would go at such great lengths to cause mayhem.

"Quick! Hide! Filch is making his way over!" Sirius whispered, running away to an empty classroom followed by James and Peter. However Remus and Riley were left behind and had no other choice but to hide in a small broom closet.

"Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." they heard Filch mutter to Mrs. Norris. "They're in here somewhere, probably hiding."

Riley was trying her hardest to contain her laughter and as she was about to hysterically laugh, Remus covered her mouth with his hand.

"It was probably Peeves, come Mrs. Norris." Filch spoke, making his way to the other side of the castle.

"That was close." Remus whispered with a chuckle.

"Yeah…" Riley whispered back. She only noticed at that instant how close they actually were. She could smell the faint aroma of chocolate from Remus and she could also clearly see the scars on his face. She wondered where he got them from.

"There you are!" they heard James say as he opened the broom closet's door. "Filch is on the first floor, let's go back to the dorm."

"Aw, I was looking forward to see Sirius get beaten up by a ghost." Riley joked.

Sirius laughed, "Maybe some other time."

By the time they arrived to the common room it was already 2am.

"Hey guys, I should probably get back to my dorm." Riley said with a faint smile. "I had a great time, thank you."

"No problem, see you tomorrow!" the boys said as they made their way to their dormitory.

When she arrived at her dorm, Riley made her best efforts to avoid waking up the girls, but it was in vain as she heard Millie move in her bed.

"Riley?" she heard Millie whisper.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Where were you?" she asked. Riley was a bit surprised to hear Millie talk to her again.

"Oh, with the boys."

"Of course…" she sighed, "well, goodnight."

"Night, Mills…"

Even though the butterbeer's effect was wearing off and Riley was hit with sleepiness, she couldn't sleep. All she could think about was Remus and how close they were standing to each other in that broom closet, and his smell, and his hazel eyes, and his scars. _"Quit it, Riley."_ She thought as she tried to fall asleep and not dream about the boy. Again.


	3. Tricks and Treats

"So… my Inner Eye has told me that you missed History of Magic today." Professor Trelawney started.

"Are you sure those voices you hear aren't Peeves being a snitch?"

"Hm… no. I don't remind my Inner Eye telling me 'my mother's so fat her patronus is a cake.'" Trelawney said making Riley chuckle at that thought. "Anyways. I know you were by the lake with Mr. Black. Look…" she sighed "I know you're 16 and hormones are kicking in…"

"Hold on-"

"But you can't skip classes to be with a boy! It's not worth the detention-"

"I know but-"

"It doesn't matter how handsome he is, or how soft his lips are. Or how his black locks look like when the wind hits…" Trelawney dreamily said before quickly turning around and starting to mumble words.

"Okay, I'm going now…" Riley said getting up to make her way to the exit.

"HOLD IT!" Trelawney called turning her face back to the student. "Sit down, you need to talk to me."

"Yeah you're right… You obviously have problems." Riley muttered sitting back down.

"So… are Mr. Black and yourself…" she stuttered trying to find the words and making awkward movements with her hands.

"No, we're not shagging." bluntly said Riley, making the teacher widen her eyes.

"I was going to ask if you were an item but that's great… brilliant… Anyways, I was just asking because, you know… sex is a tricky situation…"

"And that's my cue to leave." Riley stated trying once more to exit Trelawney's office.

"Wait! Take this pamphlet!" the professor said handing her a brochure titled _'Keep Bludgers In The Field'_.

Riley groaned, "Brilliant." she mumbled, finally leaving the office.

Riley decided not to skip any more classes in order to avoid their 'girl's special time' as Trelawney liked to call it, personally she thought of it as a torture from the Dark Lord himself. As she made her way to Transfiguration she ran into Remus.

"Hey, where were you during History of Magic? I missed my human pillow." he joked.

Riley laughed, "I was with Sirius. He was trying to chat up the merpeople at the lake."

"You seem to spend a lot of time with him-"

Riley groaned, now walking faster. "Oh not you too!"

"Wait!" he called trying to keep up with her pace. "I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to feel obliged to skip classes just so you can hang out with us…"

Riley snorted, "Is that how you see me? Like some lonely tag along who feels obligated to do what you want so I won't be left alone with no friends?"

"What? No-"

"News flash, Lupin. You four gits weren't made by Merlin himself. If I'm such a burden, why don't you just stop talking with me?" Riley hissed walking away from him and making her way to class, leaving him with appalled in the middle of the corridor.

"Women…" Wesley spoke stopping next to Remus. "Now imagine living with her for 14 years…"

* * *

Riley was currently in the library finishing her homework when she heard a voice behind her. "Hey, can I sit here?" Remus asked.

"Don't feel _obliged_ to." she mumbled.

"I'm sorry." he sighed taking a seat next to her "I love spending time with you, Riley. I'm just worried… don't take this the wrong way, but I… hm… you seem… different from last year. Not that it's a bad thing, I hm…" he stuttered trying to find the right words, making Riley chuckle. How could she stay mad at this adorable git?

"It's okay." she interrupted him. "I may have overreacted. And I admit it, I know I haven't really been the same since… you know what, never mind." She sighed, returning to her work.

"No. Please talk to me, I'm your friend." he spoke with an assuring smile, placing his hand on top of hers, making her stop writing with her quill.

"Well… I guess I haven't really been the goody-two-shoes I was before my…" she sighed. It had been 3 months but it was still hard to say it out loud "my grandmother passed away." She stated. She sounded as if she was about to cry, but no tears came out; she didn't have any more left.

"I had no idea… I'm really sorry. I'm sure she went away peacefully." he said trying to make her feel better.

"That's the thing." she gulped in a small voice. Never in Remus' life had he seen someone as vulnerable as Riley looked at that moment.

"What happened?" he asked worryingly.

"She… she was killed by a werewolf." she whispered, making Remus faintly flinch.

"Oh my God…" he trembled holding her. He couldn't believe this, this girl he had been friends with for the last two months, who he had started to care for so dearly was hurting because a monster - _"like myself"_ , he thought - hadkilled a person she loved.

"I loved her so much." she continued "Oh God…" she groaned "they didn't even let anyone see her body… it was all torn apart… she didn't deserve this." Riley finished as Remus held her closer, her head gently placed on the crook of his neck.

They sat like that for a while. She liked the feeling of being able to sit in silence with someone without the need to fill it.

"I'm so sorry Remus. This was probably a bit too much… it just feels nice to have someone by my side."

"Don't apologise…" he muttered. "I understand."

"You're an amazing guy, Lupin." she smiled looking up at him.

" _If only she knew…"_ was all he could think about.

* * *

"Hey Moony! We were looking for you." James greeted him, sitting down in front of Remus with Sirius by his side. Remus had been sitting under the tree by the lake for a couple hours now, thinking about what had happened earlier in the library.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked once he saw the look on his friend's face.

"Nothing." he lied.

"Come on." James pressured, trying to find out what was going on inside his friend's mind. "Is it the upcoming transformation?"

"No."

"School work?" tried Sirius.

"No."

"Is it Riley?" James asked.

Remus quickly glanced at him before frowning and focusing his vision on a rock that was sitting beside him. "No." he repeated.

"Ahh, it's Riley." Sirius laughed, "You know, if you were having trouble with women you could've just went straight to me."

"Bloody hell, Padfoot," Remus snapped, "the world doesn't revolve around sex!"

"Okay, calm down." reasoned James in order to avoid any confrontation. "Tell us what happened."

"It's just… why do I have to be a monster?" he sighed.

"Mate…"

"No! Why?! Why me? Why… why did her grandmother had to take a bloody walk in a forest on a full moon?" he muttered, frustrated.

"Okay, you lost me there. What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Sirius asked.

"Her grandmother was killed by a werewolf." he sighed "You should've seen her… she looked so fragile. God… why do I have to be a monster?" he repeated.

"Moony… you do know it's not your fault. You didn't do it." Sirius remarked trying to reason with his friend, he always did this. He always blamed himself for the stupidest things.

"Well, it could have been me… I'm a freak…" whispered Remus.

"No you're not, Remus!" James snapped growing frustrated "You're an amazing guy. The best mate I could ever ask for."

"Ouch!" complained Sirius making Remus chuckle.

"You would never voluntarily hurt anyone, you're not a freak, you just have a furry little problem. That's it." James continued "You shouldn't let it ruin your chances with Riley. I've noticed how you look at her… bloody hell, she's the first girl you've actually taken an interest in since Dorcas Meadowes."

"Oh yeah I've forgotten about that." laughed Sirius.

"Yeah, because it was three years ago. Moony, you can't let your problem refrain you from being happy. You deserve it."

Remus sighed. "Well, so does Riley."

"I think you make her quite happy, to be honest." Sirius said.

"I can't… I- what if she finds out? She'll hate me."

"I'm sure she'll understand." Sirius said," Just wait a while. When you're ready, you'll tell her. Maybe you'll stop fancying her in a few weeks, who knows."

Remus nervously chuckled, "I don't fancy her."

"Yeah, right. And Prongs isn't obsessed with his _'Lily flower'_ " Sirius mocked earning a punch from James.

* * *

If it weren't for the decorations on the Great Hall, Riley would have forgotten that Halloween had arrived at Hogwarts. There were bats, pumpkins and fake spider's web all over the tables and it did help improve her mood. After talking with Remus the day before about her grandmother, she hadn't had the opportunity to talk to him as he had left the library in a hurry saying he had forgotten to do his homework - which was a bit odd considering they _were literally in a library_. She was a bit frightened she had scared him away with the details about her grandmother's death but as she saw Remus sitting at the Hallowe'en Feast, her heart melted when she noticed he had saved her a seat next to him.

"Hey!" The boys greeted her.

"Happy Halloween!" Sirius said in a 'spooky' voice making her chuckle.

"Someone is excited!"

"Halloween is his favourite holiday." Peter informed stuffing his face with food.

James rolled his eyes "Personally I'd enjoy it more if _Moony_ here didn't eat all my chocolate." he accusingly said glaring at Remus, who was grinning with an innocent look.

"Finders keepers, losers weepers." Remus mocked.

"You gotta do it, man." Sirius told James.

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever… you know what, can't do it." he sighed as his friends start laughing.

"Hey guys, check the time." Peter asked in a hurry.

Riley glanced at her watch, "It's 8:30, why?" she answered before an explosion was heard from the Slytherin's table.

"MERLIN, THAT'S GROSS!"

"DISGUSTING!"

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Professor Slughorn shouted from his table.

"We placed a dungbomb under Snivellus' seat." Sirius informed Riley between laughs. "Look at him running." he said pointing at Severus Snape who was running for his life as people shouted "GO TAKE A SHOWER!" as he passed by.

However, much to James' dismay, someone did not find the show funny. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Lily shouted making her way over to the Marauders.

"What are you talking about?" James answered in a fake innocent voice.

"You are such a brat! What did he ever do to you?"

"How are you so sure I had anything to do with it? Maybe he should be more careful with what he eats next time." James mocked making Sirius and Peter laugh hysterically.

"And you wonder why I won't go out with you. You're a child!"

"Well, if you're into that, then-" BANG.

"Oh my God." Sirius choked on his food as he saw James - he had fallen off his seat. And to top it all, was soaked in a particular place, from the water he was drinking before Lily hexed him.

"That was brilliant." Riley laughed along with her friends as Lily exited the Great Hall.

"Not. Funny" he groaned, standing up and following the redhead.

"This is why I don't obsess over women." Sirius chuckled.

"Oh, please."

"You've been hexed more times than all of us combined." Remus laughed.

Sirius shrugged.

"Well… yeah, true."

After a few minutes, James came back with his hair even messier than usual, which Riley thought would have been impossible. "What happened?"

"It's no use." James groaned getting back to his seat. "You know what? I'm going to get over her once and for all." He confidently said making his peers groan, except Riley who just looked at them confused.

"What?" she asked "That's a good thing, right? At least he can stop obsessing over someone who he hasn't got a chance with."

"Oi!"

"Yeah, that would be great and all, if he actually managed to do that. Maybe 248th's the charm." Remus joked.

"I'm serious this time. So done with her…" he complained, eating in silent for a few seconds before speaking again. "I mean, who the bloody hell has eyes _that_ green? It's ridiculous."

"Sure, Prongs."

"You know what else is ridiculous?"

"You?" Riley joked but James ignored her comment and his friends' chuckles as he continued his rant.

"Her smile. Her teeth are so white and straight… Come on! It's humanly impossible to have teeth like that," he said hoping to get a response from his friends but they continued to ignore him and eating. "I bet she's a vampire," he mumbled. "You know what, I'm going to stop thinking about her."

"Thank Merlin…" Peter grumbled as they sat in silence again, glad that James had finally stopped his rant.

"It's not like she's _that_ hard to get over. Yes, she's pretty and intelligent and flawless but-"

 _ughhhhhhhhhh._


	4. James Potter Is My Friend

**A/N:** Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the reviews and for those who follow and favourite this story! It means so much! This chapter is a bit short but I can promise the next one will make up for it! Anyways, hope you enjoy!

* * *

"So, in today's class you will be divided into pairs," said Slughorn earning as response, multiple excited whispers from his students. "Don't get too delighted, I'll be the one deciding who gets paired up with whom." this time only groans were heard around the class. With a flick of his wand, names appeared on the chalkboard, displaying who the pairs were.

 _Alice Price - Sirius Black_

 _Catherine Young - Severus Snape_

 _Frank Longbottom - Remus Lupin_

 _Gordon Willis - James Potter_

 _Lily Evans - Riley Ward_

 _Millie Robins - Peter Pettigrew_

 _Tyler Macmillan - Ellie Travis_

"Now, I expect you to work properly and have a Draught of Living Death prepared by the end of the week. You can find the instructions on your copy of _Advanced Potion-Making._ Off to work!"

"Not fair," James groaned, "you get to work with Lily but I'm stuck with Gordon Willis. He's such a… he's such a willy."

"Brilliant James, top notch bullying material." Riley sarcastically replied. "Also, I thought you were supposed to be getting over her."

James scoffed, getting off his seat and making his way over to Gordon "Yeah like that's ever going to happen."

"Hello there, Riley." Lily greeted with a warm smile as she sat next to her. The two girls started their work, occasionally mocking people's expressions when their potion started to smell or exploded. Riley could feel two pairs of eyes burning her skull. James Potter's and Severus Snape's.

Throughout the class Slughorn would move along everyone's desks to check the potions and help anyone, if necessary. As he reached Lily and Riley's table, a look of delight spread over his face.

"Absolutely brilliant! But of course, coming from you Ms. Evans, I wouldn't expect more!" he cried, completely ignoring Riley as he then moved along to the next table.

"I swear, that old man is more in love with you than James."

Lily laughed. "I don't think that's possible."

During the following week, Riley - as her friendship with Lily was getting stronger - noticed two people's different behaviours towards her - Severus Snape and James Potter. The first started to be even colder than he was, not that he was ever warm, but he would "accidentally" interrupt Riley and Lily's conversations far too often to be actually considered an "accident". The latter, on the other hand, started to become more affectionate towards Riley, opening doors for her, offering to carry her books and even started to compliment her hair. Even though, she thought, it wasn't as different as Snape's in terms of greasiness.

By the time Friday came, it all became clear as to why James Potter had become the embodiment of a gentleman. When the class finished, a very distressed-looking James pushed Riley out of the classroom.

"You have to help me." he begged when they reached a secluded place in the corridor.

"In what?"

"I saw how friendly you and Lily have become and I was wondering if hm… maybe you could convince her to go out with me?"

"James…"

"I know what you think," he interrupted "you think I see her as a prize to win. I don't. Well, I used to but not anymore. Please Riley…"

"Fine." she sighed "But I can't promise anything." as she said those words James' face turned into the biggest grin she had ever seen.

"Thank you!" he cheered. "I owe you one."

Riley smiled "Yeah, don't forget about that."

As they made their way to the tree by the lake - where the Marauder's would usually be found - James started to plan how Riley had to ask Lily about him. She'd have to tell her, in James' words, how amazing, generous, nice, chivalrous and _humble_ he was. He even excitedly told her how he had planned their date. He'd take Lily on a walk in Hogsmeade and show her his favourite shops. He'd buy her something as a "souvenir" in order to have something to show their future children, when they'd tell them the story about how their parents fell in love.

Riley smiled as he finished talking about his dream date with Lily.

"You were right, you know. I did think you only saw Lily as a prize to win. But I have to admit, your love for her is very real."

James beamed. "I do love her. You know when you start picturing your future and you see yourself surrounded by a big family and the love of your life standing next to you?" Riley nodded, she did know what he was talking about, but she'd never admit to anyone how the faceless guy she once imagined now had a face. "Well for me… it's her. _She's_ the love of my life."

Riley chuckled "Who knew James Potter was such a romantic."

"I'm not afraid to hex a girl, so don't you dare telling anyone about this."

"Annnnd he's back."

* * *

Even though Riley wasn't someone one would be dying to be friends with she did have a good thing about her, she kept her promises. As a result, that very night, she sat on Lily's bed ready to engage in 'proper slumber party conversation-material', or as one would call it 'talking about their feelings'.

"Okay, I have to know. What do you really think of James?" Riley asked the redhead. She might keep her promises but she wasn't someone very subtle.

"Potter? He's a git." she replied without hesitance, not even taking her eyes off her toe nails which she was painting.

"Yeah, believe me, I know that. But come on, all that teasing, you can not _really_ think he's nothing more than a git."

"You're right, he's more than that," she said making Riley flash a smile. _Maybe Lily really likes James!"_ she thought. "He's also an idiot, and immature, not to mention _extremely_ presumptuous. Look I know he's your friend," she sighed, looking up at her friend "and he probably asked you to talk him up to me but it's not going to work."

"Look Lily, before I ever talked to him I thought the exact same things, I thought he was nothing more than an _immature git_ , someone who would bully people just to boost his ego but believe me, the minute I started to hang out with him I realised I had never been more wrong in my life. He's a great friend, and he truly does anything he can to support his friends. And yes, he did ask me to talk to you about him-"

Lily scoffed, "I knew it."

"But after he asked me that, I had to endure at least what felt like 2 hours of him going on and on about his dream date with you. Just give him a chance."

"I don't know, Riley."

"Tomorrow is a Hogsmeade weekend. He'll be waiting for you at the Clock Tower."

Lily smiled, "I'll sleep on it."

* * *

When Riley woke up she immediately changed into her normal-day robes as fast as she could when she saw that Lily's bed was empty. She wanted to check the Clock Tower and see her two friends slowly falling in love with each other. However, when she reached the corridor that lead to the tower she saw Lily leaned against the wall, looking rather confused with herself.

"Hey!" Riley greeted.

"Hey." Lily mumbled not looking up.

"Where's James?"

"He's waiting for me. He… he brought _lilies_." she muttered.

Riley chuckled, "He's _so smart._ "

"Riley… I… I can't do it." Lily spoke, finally looking up at her, her green eyes looking lost. "Tell James I'm sorry." And with that she ran away, leaving Riley to break James' heart.

Riley turned the corner and there James was, carrying a bouquet of lilies, wearing his best robes. He had even attempted to turn his hair less messy by combing it for once.

"Is she coming?" James asked with a hopeful look on his face, making Riley's heart break.

She slowly nodded no. "I'm sorry."

James' grin instantly turned into a frown at Riley's words. With a swift of his wand he made the lilies disappear before slowly sitting down on the floor, his back leaned against the wall. "I should have known…" he sighed.

Riley sat next to him and gently placed her hand on his knee. "She'll come around, you know."

James scoffed, "I appreciate the concern, but it's useless. She hates me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. When she was telling me she couldn't make it, she, well…"

"What?" he asked.

"She didn't call you Potter, she called you James." And as he heard those words he finally smiled.

"She really did?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just give her some time."

"I'll wait my whole life for her if it's necessary." he said making Riley smile.

"You know, I hope I find someone who will be as in love with me as you are with Lily."

James laughed, "Don't worry, that'll happen sooner than you think."

"What do you mean?" Riley asked confused.

James, realising he had said too much, quickly spoke, "I just mean… you're pretty, smart, funny… you'll find someone."

"Oh." she said with a hint of disappointment. "Thank you." She was hoping he'd told her a certain hazel-eyed boy would be that _someone._ Unfortunately no one is that lucky in life.


	5. Tests and Breasts

A/N: I know there aren't any mid-term exams at Hogwarts but bear with me. I wanted to add this to keep a bit of the show's plot in the story. There isn't a lot of Remus/Riley in this chapter but the next one will not disappoint when it comes to that. Again, thank you so much for those who have favourited/followed/reviewed the story it definitely encourages me to write more! So please, leave a review telling me what you're thinking of the fic so far and what you want to happen next. Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Sirius Black was considered a lot of things by a lot of people. Most girls would call him "God's gift to the world", others, "a dog who just uses you for sex and leaves you naked and alone in the Room of Requirements". For most guys he was either "a genius for snogging Avery's _and_ Mulciber's girlfriends on the same day" or "an arsehole for snogging my girlfriend the same day as Avery's". Either way there was one thing everyone knew for sure, whether you liked him or not you had to admit it, he was a smart chap. However, it was a pity he focused his intelligence more on how to prank Slytherins than necessarily on how to pass Muggle Studies, which lead him to be informed by professor McGonagall that if he didn't have at least an Acceptable on his next Muggle Studies' mid-term exam, he would fail.

Sirius wasn't necessarily a good student, he knew there was only one way of passing this exam: cheating. After hours begging for Remus to help him, he gave up. If there was someone Remus Lupin was afraid of was McGonagall, and there was no bloody way he would attempt to outsmart the Head of Gryffindor House by helping his friend cheat on an exam.

Sirius finally became desperate, so desperate he was actually going to the library to at least give a shot on what one would call 'studying'. He had two hours until the test so better late than never. However, when he reached the library he saw the solution to his problems: Riley Ward.

"Riley!" he shouted making his way to his friend as Madam Pince shushed him.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Riley asked with a suspicious look on her face. It wasn't every day you would see Sirius Black on a library.

"Well, I _was_ goingto study but then I saw you." he said sitting down next to his friend.

"Black, I know I'm pretty but-"

"No, not because of that." he interrupted.

Riley jokingly put her hand on her heart, "Ouch!"

"You're a half-blood, right?"

"Hm… yeah?"

"And you have extensive knowledge on Muggles, right?"

Riley's suspicious look grew bigger, "I wouldn't call it _extensive_ but hm… sure?"

"Great, I need your help." he sighed, "Professor Fawcett, the Muggle Studies teacher, is going to fail me if I have less than an Acceptable on her next exam-"

"Why do you even take Muggle Studies?"

"To piss off my parents… but that's not important. I was thinking maybe I could steal the test and you could do it for me before I have the exam'" he said grinning, trying to not make it sound like a big deal.

"WHAT?" she shouted, making Madam Pince shush her for the first time in her life. "Sirius," she spoke now with a soft voice, "I can't… that's cheating!"

Sirius groaned, "You sound just like Moony… come on! Please, you're my only hope."

"Sirius, I-"

"Please." he begged giving his best puppy eyed-look.

Riley sighed, "Fine… but I am _not_ going near Fawcett's office to steal those tests."

Sirius grinned hugging her tightly, "Thank you! And don't worry. I have my methods, I'll be right back." And with that he ran out of the library.

After thirty minutes, Riley was surprised to see Sirius back with a few pieces of parchment on his hand.

"That was fast!" she commented as Sirius grabbed her hand and started to make his way to the other side of the library. "Where are we going?"

"To the Restricted Section. No one is going to find us there."

"I swear to Merlin, Sirius, if we end up in Azkaban for this I _will_ kill you."

Sirius laughed, "Don't worry, I'll find us a way to escape if that ever happens."

* * *

Riley was nervous. So nervous she was impatiently waiting for Sirius to get out of the classroom and finish his exam. Never in her life had she cheated on an exam and she knew that if he got caught, there would be terrible consequences for both of them. They could be suspended, or expelled! And then she'd end up not having a job, leaving her bankrupt. And without money she wouldn't have a house and without a house she'd end up dead, and-

"Hey, Riley!" her thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful-looking Remus Lupin.

Riley stopped her pacing around, and smiled at him. "Hi."

"What are you doing walking around the corridor?" he asked raising his eyebrows.

"I can't keep this in any longer!"

"What's going on?"

"Remus, I'm… I'm an out-law." she whispered returning to her pacing.

Remus chuckled at her nervous demeanor. "Did you kill someone or…?"

"No, you git! You can't tell this to _anyone_ but I helped Sirius cheat on his Muggle Studies exam."

"Oh! Really? I wouldn't expect that from you."

Riley rolled her eyes at him. "You're not helping me!"

"Sirius cheats all the time so don't worry, he won't get caught."

"I bloody hope not…" she mumbled under her breath as the door to the classroom was opened and revealed a confident-looking Sirius.

"Here's my partner in crime!" he greeted receiving a punch from Riley.

"Shut up!" she said looking around.

Sirius laughed at Remus, "She breaks easy."

"How did the exam go?" Remus asked.

"If I don't get an Outstanding then that's just proof Fawcett hates me."

"Wouldn't be the only one…" Riley muttered.

"Hey! Don't hate the player, hate the game."

"What the hell are you talking about? There wouldn't be a bloody game if it weren't for you!"

Remus chuckled, "I truly have the best taste in friends."

Throughout the day Riley's anxiety decreased. However, the last class of the day - Charms - was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry Filius, I'd just like to speak with Mr. Black and Ms. Ward, please." McGonagall said.

"Oh God, this is my doom. This is it. I'm going to get expelled. I'm going to end up in Azkaban." Riley kept mumbling as her and Sirius followed the professor through the corridors.

"Be. cool." Sirius whispered.

Once they reached her office, Professor McGonagall motioned Riley and Sirius to sit down. The only previous times Riley had entered her office was to receive compliments for her academic achievements. Never in her life did she think she would enter it to be scolded for cheating. Professor Fawcett was sitting besides McGonagall's chair with a very disappointed frown on her face.

"It has reached mine and Professor Fawcett's attentions that you, Mr. Black, cheated on your Muggle Studies exam with the help of Ms. Ward-"

"Incorrect." Sirius confidently spoke. There goes Riley's opportunity to tell the truth so they won't get in trouble.

Professor Fawcett sighed, "We received an anonymous note, Mr. Black. There is no need to lie."

"Oh please," Sirius scoffed, as if he had done this a million times. _Which is probably true_ , Riley thought. "That whole 'anonymous note' thing is rubbish."

"Language." McGonagall threatened.

"Someone did saw both of you at the library's _Restricted Section_ answering the questions for _my_ exam! Now, this is absurd! Not only were you two _cheating_ but also doing it in a place where you weren't even allowed to be in the first place!" Professor Fawcett said.

Riley started to think back to that morning; the only few people she saw in the library were a couple of second years and-

"Oh my God." she trembled.

"What, Ms. Ward?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Is your anonymous note, by any chance, from Millie Robins?" she asked putting the puzzle pieces together. The professors' silence and their glances towards each other were enough to close the case.

"HA! That's not a relevant source!" Sirius yelled, taking advantage of the situation. "Millie is mad at Riley! She'd do anything to get her in trouble! You have no proof!"

"Well, your Outstanding is enough proof to tell us you cheated!" Professor Fawcett talked back.

"The boy is right, Amanda. You can't blame him for having a good grade." McGonagall tried to reason. "And I know Ms. Ward. She has made some questionable decisions lately but she is not a cheater."

"Yes, but Mr. Black is!" Professor Fawcett spoke, reaching for her bag and taking a few parchments out of it. "I brought the exam. If Mr. Black manages to do it and get at least an Acceptable, I will not enforce any punishments upon them and I will give Mr. Black an Outstanding by the end of the year." she confidently said.

Sirius scoffed, "Deal. Want to do an Unbreakable Vow so I know you're not lying?"

"Oh, just go on with it." Groaned McGonagall.

Sirius grabbed his quill and started to answer the exam so fast, Riley was starting to believe he wasn't even looking at the questions. All Riley was doing inside her mind was praying that Sirius wouldn't fail so that both of them wouldn't get in trouble. Professor Fawcett kept glaring at both of them as if to see they weren't cheating right in front of her eyes.

"There!" Sirius spoke confidently. He had managed to finish the exam in less than 10 minutes, but for Riley it felt like 10 hours.

Professor Fawcett grabbed a quill, which started to mark the exam by itself. "It can't be…" she mumbled when the quill stopped grading the test.

"What did he get?" Riley asked. The suspense was killing her.

When Professor Fawcett didn't answer, McGonagall took the exam from her hands and a faint look of surprise was seen before the stern look on her face reappeared. "You can leave now. Mr. Black was able to score an 'Exceeds Expectations.'"

They were sent back to their common rooms without a punishment and Sirius was already planning a celebration party.

"How did you manage to get an 'Exceeds Expectations'?" Riley asked with a startled look. She had avoided suspension by a thin hair and was still in shock from their lucky escape.

Sirius chuckled, "I'm a fast learner, and the way you talk about Muggle culture is actually quite interesting."

At that comment Riley punched him. "You are a fast learner, Black? Then pay attention to the bloody class for a change!"

"What are you so heated about? We cheated on an exam and didn't even get a single detention!"

Riley sighed. She couldn't stop thinking about the whole 'anonymous note' situation. "Millie…"

"Oh… right. Yeah, that was a bit low." he said, noticing the look on her face "Hey. If you want I can prank her."

Riley chuckled. She noticed the Marauders' way of dealing with their problems was pranking other people. "That's not necessary, thanks. I'll have a talk with her."

"If she ends up dead in her dormitory then I know who to blame."

"Good thing you'll be able to find us an escape from Azkaban."

* * *

Throughout the day Riley wasn't able to catch a single glimpse of Millie. In order to prevent any scenes, she avoided Millie in the Great Hall and made her way to her four friends, who were sitting with Wesley, Nathan and Ben. She decided she'd take care of Millie later that night.

"Hey!" she greeted them with a smile but was quickly replaced by a frown when she saw Wesley's distant look. "What's wrong?" she asked sitting next to him.

"We had Sex Ed class with Madam Pomfrey." Nathan explained as he waved a hand in front of Wesley's face. "He's still a bit shocked."

Riley chuckled at her brother's face, along with the Marauders.

"Abraham made fun of him because he couldn't find the…" Ben spoke, lowering his voice as he said the next word. " _Clitoris_."

"Ahhh, not a problem for me." Sirius joked.

Riley and the other boys rolled their eyes at him. "Wes, look at me."

"I- I can't." he stuttered.

Sirius got up from his seat and whispered something in his ear. "Come on." he said as they both got up and made their way to the Entrance Hall.

"What the bloody hell are you going to do with my brother?" Riley asked, alarmed.

"Don't worry." Sirius answered as they left the Great Hall.

"Should I follow them or-"

"Sometimes is best to live in ignorance." Peter said.

When Sirius got back with Welsey, the 14 year old made his way to his friends and whispered something to them, leaving Riley extremely confused when she saw the smirk on Sirius' face. This wasn't good.

"I don't want to go back to the dorm! I'm eating!" Nathan complained, but as Wesley whispered something else in his ear he changed his mind. "Oh. Bye everyone!" he spoke, excitingly leaving with Ben and Wesley.

"WESLEY!" Riley called after her brother but it was in vain as they were already leaving the Great Hall. "Sirius, what did you tell him?"

"I didn't tell him anything. I just gave him something I had in my dorm to help him with the ladies."

Riley tried to remain calm at that remark, but she was quickly losing her temper. "What did you give my brother?" she asked between clenched teeth.

"Let's just say he's going to be a changed man."

"SIRIUS ORION! What did you give my brother?!" Riley yelled. Her temper was officially lost.

"Hey! What you middle naming me for?" He complained as Riley rolled her eyes at him. She looked over at James and Peter who were maniacally laughing. There was only one chance of knowing what was going on. She had to ask the most reasonable one out of the Marauders.

"Remus, what does Sirius have in this dorm?"

Remus gulped at the question. "He has a lot of things, Riley. Each is worse than the other to be honest."

Sirius tried to contain his laughter along with Peter and James. "Okay." he spoke between laughs. "I just gave him a magazine that was all."

"A magazine?" Riley asked scared. _Please let it be 'Witch Weekly'. Please let it be 'Witch Weekly'._

"Triple Hex Magazine to be more accurate." He said, hysterically laughing. Riley quickly got up from her seat to prevent her brother from doing… _anything_ with that magazine.

"I wouldn't go to his dorm if I were you." Peter chuckled.

" _Gross. Gross. Gross. Gross."_ was all that Riley could think about as she made her way to the Gryffindor common room with the intention of burning that magazine. However, before she could climb the stairs of the Entrance Hall she was stopped by someone calling after her. Millie.

"Hey, Riley." she called making her way to her.

"Millie, right now is not a good time."

"Look, I understand you're mad at me but…"

Riley rolled her eyes at her. "But what, Millie? I get it you hate me! But what would you gain if I were actually suspended? Or expelled? A praise from McGonagall? A pat on the back?"

"I never wanted that to happen! I just wanted you to see what a bad influence those boys are-"

"God, Millie! Stop being such a jealous bitch!" Riley yelled, but when she noticed Millie's teary eyes, she immediately regretted her behaviour.

"I just wanted to look after you." she spoke looking at the floor. "You're my best friend."

"Millie…"

"I'm sorry for being a _jealous bitch_." she cried, running to the Gryffindor common room. In that moment, Riley forgot all about Sirius' stupid gag. She forgot all about the anonymous note. All she could think about was the fact that she had hurt one of the few people that had ever cared about her. Even if what Millie had done was extremely stupid, she was still Riley's best friend. Even if Riley had forgotten about it.

She followed Millie to their dorm. Even though Riley was almost suspended because of Millie, this whole fiasco wouldn't have happened if Riley hadn't neglected her.

When she reached her dorm, Millie was lying on her bed, uncontrollably crying. "Go away." she spoke between sobs.

Riley sat on her bed. It had been too long since they had spoken with each other. "You do know this is also my dorm?" she chuckled trying to lighten the mood. When she didn't get an answer from Millie she sighed. It was time for an apology. She deserved it.

"I'm sorry, Millie."

"Why? I-I was the o-one who go-got you in tro-trouble." she said between sobs. Her face still buried in her pillow.

"Well… I was the one who ignored your owls… and avoided you at school… I'm sorry I've been a bad friend lately."

"I'm sorry too." Millie said, sitting up on her bed. Her eyes looked puffy but the seemingly endless flow of tears were slowly coming to a stop. "I really miss being friends with you."

"Yeah… I do too." Riley smiled.

"But I can't be friends with you while you're friends with _them_." Millie spit as if saying their names would taste like venom. "I want the old Riley back. I don't like this new Riley."

"Millie, I'm still the same person."

Millie sighed, "No, you're not. And once you stop being someone you're not, I'll be there."

"Then I guess you won't be seeing a lot of me."

"I'm used to that, don't worry." Millie mumbled, getting under her covers. "Goodnight, Riley."

"Goodnight." Riley got up from Millie's bed and made her way to hers, changing into her pyjamas and lying under her blankets. Millie was right. She wasn't the same person. But she liked this new Riley. New Riley was funny, she was braver. She didn't have her future dictated for her. And the best of all, she had friends who actually liked her for who she was.


	6. I'm With You

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry it took so long to update but I hope this chapter won't disappoint. To be completely honest, I don't really like how the first part of it turned up (I have rewritten it countless times so this is as good as it gets) but I think the ending makes up for it. Anyways, please leave a review! I want to know what your feedback is and what you'd like to see in future chapters! Thank you!

* * *

Riley had unashamedly admitted to herself that for a few months, the highlight of her day was patrolling the corridors with Remus. What most people would call a boring task, she enjoyed it. She enjoyed spending time with Remus; she enjoyed their conversations, their jokes and their cheeky trips to the kitchens. The house-elves already knew all her favourite meals from the amount of times she had visited them. She was sure they even created a menu after her.

However, after James told her Remus was feeling a bit sick that night and couldn't patrol the corridors, the highlight of her day quickly turned into the boring task she was now dreading to do for an hour. She felt lonely without Remus by her side and her mind quickly drifted to him. During the past week, Remus had been acting a bit strange, and even though he was the most lovely person Riley had ever met in her life, there were often times where he would be acting a bit more irritable or gloomier than usual, which would lead up to him feeling sick. She worried about him.

Even though she (un) ashamedly enjoyed thinking about Remus, she quickly got bored of her prefect duty and decided to give up for the night. If first years wanted to wander off in the corridors after hours, then let them wander off in the corridors after hours.

However, since she didn't feel like going to her dorm just yet, and her stomach was still full from dinner, she decided to get fresh air and make her way to the Hogwarts grounds and sit by the usual spot- the tree under the lake. She made her way to her comfortable 'corner' but stopped herself when she noticed three people ahead of her. She rolled her eyes; even with their best friend sick those boys would find time to break school rules.

As she was about to call after them, she had a better idea. She was going to scare those bloody gits. After all, they deserve it after they turned her quill into a spider when she fell asleep during History of Magic, making the girl scream bloody murder in front of the whole class.

Still focused on her revenge, she noticed they were making their way to the Whomping Willow, which quickly got her more intrigued. Wondering what they were up to, she watched them curiously.

But that curiosity quickly turned into shock as she watched her friends transform into what looked like animals. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"What in the bloody hell… I must've gone mad," she muttered. Riley couldn't stop staring as she tried to figure out what was happening. This situation wasn't making any sense. She started to wonder if the house-elves had spiked her water.

Pinching herself, Riley watched closely as the rat, who was previously in Peter's place, ran to the tree and quickly pressed a knot on the Whomping Willow's base, immobilizing it. The three animals entered it leaving Riley sitting beside the tree shocked.

She had no idea what was happening but there were two things she knew for sure.

Number 1- her friends were either animagus or they really knew how to pull off Halloween costumes;

Number 2- it was all too much of a coincidence. Remus couldn't possibly be sick if his friends were entering the Whomping Willow and had the ability to transform into animals whenever they desired so. Remus had to be involved in this.

She sat by the tree trying to comprehend this whole scenario. She started to admire her surroundings. It was a strange night. The birds weren't chirping and no animals could be heard, which was odd considering she was so close to a forrest. She closed her eyes and deeply inhaled the cold air. When she opened her eyes again she noticed how beautiful the moon looked. She realized that her grandmother had died during a night like this. She wondered if the full moon was the last thing she saw and not that awful creature…

But then it came to her. The fact that no animals could be heard in the forest; how it was a full moon; how her friends had mysteriously transformed into animals and managed to break into the Whomping Willow. She knew animals, even animagi, didn't have any effect on werewolves. She knew everything that had to do with those creatures; it was all she could read about during her summer.

And her mind quickly drifted to Remus.

His scars.

How he had behaved the past week… how every month there was a day when he was either sick, or something happened which prevented him from attending classes. And it always happened every month, like a clock.

It had to be connected somehow. There was a werewolf at Hogwarts. And that werewolf had to be Remus.

* * *

After that incident, Riley couldn't sleep, she couldn't help wonder if she was overreacting. Even though she was left a bit paranoid after her grandmother's death, she couldn't possibly ignore the evidences. Remus _had_ to be a werewolf. It was the only explanation to his scars, to his behaviour and to his absence at school every month.

She had to confront him somehow. She couldn't live her life knowing this secret about him and not do anything about it. Even if it wasn't true, she knew she had to talk to Remus. The only thing she didn't know was how she would address him.

When she 'woke up' from her sleepless night she prepared herself for the long day ahead of her. As she entered the Charms classroom she was faced with three tired-looking Marauders. She made her way to them, sat next to James and decided to try and see if she could read their expressions when she addressed the previous night.

"Good morning." she greeted them, "You lot look tired. Long night?"

"You have no idea…" Sirius mumbled.

"Did Remus keep you up?" Riley asked; noticing Peter's eyes widening before he quickly turned his face to the professor as if he was trying to pay attention to the class.

Sirius chuckled, with a hint of nervousness. "Why would he keep us up?"

"I don't know…" Riley shrugged. "Have I ever told you guys what my favorite animals are?" she asked making James and Sirius glance at each other with slight looks of confusion.

"No?" Sirius spoke, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Dogs."

"Same." he chuckled.

"And stags." Riley added as James' eyes widened. "But personally I'm not a big fan of rats."

At those words Peter quickly turned his face towards his friends who were all glancing at each other with shock written all over their faces.

Riley sighed. This whole 'messing with them' was pointless. "Guys, I know."

James chuckled, "Know what?"

"I know about you three being you-know-what, and it has to do with Remus, hasn't it?" Riley whispered, but she only received silence and panicked looks from her friends, which proved her theory. Remus was a werewolf. "Where is he right now?"

"Riley, please don't make this more difficult than it already is. He's a great person. Please don't tell anyone." James said with a hint of distress to his voice.

"Of course I won't tell anyone!" She half-whispered, half-shouted. "Do you really think I see him differently?"

"He really cares about you, Riley." Peter added.

"I know. That's why I need to talk to him. Where is he?"

"He's in the Hospital Wing, but Madam Pomfrey only accepts visitors after school hours because of that one time we filled the wing with popcorn when we were skipping classes." Sirius grinned earning a glare from Riley. "What? We were hungry."

"Great." Riley mumbled.

She couldn't take this anymore; she _had_ to talk to Remus. She couldn't wait a whole day, so she did what every reasonable person would do; she fake-fainted.

"MERLIN'S BEARD!" Professor Flitwick shouted when he noticed Riley, who had dramatically fallen off her seat. "SOMEONE TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL WING!"

"Are you kidding me…?" Sirius mumbled.

"I'll do it!" Gordon Willis volunteered with a mischievous smile on his face at the opportunity to carry a girl through three floors for the whole school to see.

"Oh, sod off!" James protectively swore as he grabbed Riley from the floor and carried her out of the classroom. "Merlin, you're heavy."

"Lily's a lucky girl." sarcastically mumbled Riley.

The minute they entered the hospital wing, a very distressed looking Madam Pomfrey received them. James spotted Remus sleeping in his bed.

"Blimey, what happened to her?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

"She fainted during class. Believe me it was a surprise for everyone." James answered.

"Here, lay her on this bed."

James was about to do as instructed but was interrupted by a pinch on his side. He rolled his eyes.

"I think she'd rather lay there instead." hissed James as he made his way to the bed next to Remus.

"James?" sleepily groaned Remus as he noticed his friend, but when he saw the girl lying next to him he rapidly woke up. "What happened?" he asked worryingly.

"Don't worry, she's faking it." James whispered making Remus rather confused.

"Why?" He asked but he received no answer as Madam Pomfrey came back with a disgusting looking potion on her hands.

"This is for her when she wakes up, let me know when she does, Remus." Madam Pomfrey spoke.

"I hm… I don't think that will be necessary." James said. He was sure that thing could kill Riley since she wasn't ill at all. _She did deserve it though,_ he thought, _I'm going to be sore for weeks from carrying her._

"Who do you think you are Potter? A healer? Go back to your class." demanded Madam Pomfrey before returning to her office.

"If you say so, Poppy." James smirked winking at Remus as he made his way to class.

"Riley? What are you doing here?" Remus asked.

Riley opened one eye to make sure the coast was clear before sitting on Remus' bed. "I had to talk with you."

"What was so serious that you couldn't wait a few more hours?"

Riley nervously chuckled. This was harder than she was expecting, she had no idea how she was going to confess to knowing Remus' biggest secret. All the speeches she had prepared in front of the mirror were pointless; having Remus' tired face in front of her was making this situation a million times harder. Why did he have to look so handsome?

She brushed those thoughts out of her mind and held his hand. Remus was growing more worried after each second. "What's going on, Riley?" he asked.

Riley closed her eyes. It was now or never. "I know, Remus. I know you're a werewolf," she whispered.

Remus flinched as he heard those words leave her mouth. He quickly removed his hand from her grasp and sat up shocked. This couldn't be happening to him. All his efforts to prevent her from finding out went to hell. This was it. She could never see him as anything other than the monster he was.

"How did you find out?" he whispered, shock still written on his face.

While Riley explained everything she noticed the distressed look on Remus' face and how his breathing had become so rapid she was sure he was going to faint. She grabbed his hands again.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he repeatedly mumbled, never looking at her.

"Why are you sorry?" Riley asked, gently touching his cheeks and slowly turning his face to her so he could look her in the eyes.

"For being a freak," he said closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He couldn't have this conversation, not with her, not with her so close, not with her warm hands on his cold face. He took her hands off his cheeks earning a disappointed look from Riley.

"Remus," she sighed "Look-"

"No. Please, don't tell anyone." he spoke, his eyes desperate. "I know I deserve it, I know I'm a monster but please don't do it. I know it's harder for you because of your grandmother and trust me, I can't handle knowing she died because of someone like me."

"Remus…" Riley sighed.

"Please. Let me finish." Remus insisted. "I just can't. I won't be able to live with myself if I know I am a constant reminder of the monster who killed someone you loved so dearly. And I won't be able to live with myself knowing I could hurt _you._ "

Riley flinched at how Remus was saying those words, it was as if he had practiced them, knowing he had to eventually push her away not to hurt her.

"So, as much as it pains me to say this, and trust me, it does." he bitterly chuckled, "I understand if we can't be friends, Riley. Hell, I can't blame you, I know I wouldn't want to be friends with someone like me either but please… don't tell anyone." he sighed, finally looking at Riley noticing her glossy, red eyes. She was trying to control her tears. That was the last thing Remus wanted to cause Riley, unhappiness.

"Does your body hurt?" Riley asked, ignoring his speech.

"What?" asked Remus, confused.

"Does your body hurt?" she repeated, more stern this time.

"Well, a bit but- OUCH!" he yelped as he felt Riley's fist hitting his chest. For someone as slim as her, she was strong.

"Of course I'm not going to tell anyone, Remus John Lupin! I would never do that. I'm with you. I'll always be there for you. Look," she sighed "what happened to my grandmother was terrible, yes it was a werewolf who did it but that doesn't mean I hate an entire community of people because of something they cannot control, and I definitely wouldn't hate you." She spoke, the last part with a more gentle voice. Now was Remus the one trying to control his tears. "I could never blame you for what happened to my grandmother, you just have a condition… a furry condition." she chuckled earning a laugh from Remus, which made her happier. She couldn't stand seeing him so miserable.

"A furry little problem?" smirked Remus.

Riley laughed, she liked that term. "Exactly. A furry little problem."

Remus smiled. "That's what James calls it."

"You're lucky you have such amazing friends."

"I am…" Remus smiled. James, Sirius and Peter were the only people in his life who would never judge him, who were always there for him. He had no idea what he did to deserve them, hell, he wasn't even sure he deserved them at all. But what he was sure of was that Riley had become someone who he knew would never hurt him. She was one of his best friends.

Riley softly touched his cheek again, their eyes meeting. "But they're even more lucky, because they have you."

Remus closed his eyes as he felt Riley caressing the scar on his left cheek. "Thank you, Riley." he whispered, opening his eyes and looking at the bright smile on her face. He memorized every single area of her face, her welcoming eyes, her soft lips, cracking a big smile showing her white teeth. He just wanted that moment to freeze, so he could engrave it into his memory forever and relive that moment countless times. The moment he realized his true feelings for Riley Ward.

"Thank you for being amazing." he spoke, grinning at her.

Riley hugged him, not noticing the slight flinch from Remus as she pressed herself against his sore body. As much as his body was in pain at that moment, he held her even tighter, as if she would slip away from him if he let go. The pain was worth it if it meant he could feel her soft arms around him, her vanilla scented aroma and her soft hair as he played with it with his calloused fingers.

"And by the way," Riley spoke, pulling away from their embrace much to Remus' disappointment. "I always took you for a bloke who liked midnight walks on the moonlight anyway." she teased with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up." laughed Remus, pulling her close to him again, this time, she laid next to him, her fingers tracing his scars on his arms as he held her tightly, never wanting that moment to end. Only interrupted by their friends, who - with their constant teasing - made sure Remus didn't forget it.


	7. Christmas and Invitations

**A/N:** I am so thrilled with the feedback I have gotten, thank you so much for those who read this fic, review it, follow it, etc. You have no idea how happy it makes me! I probably won't be able to post anything in the next few weeks so I hope everyone has a very happy Christmas and a wonderful start to the New Year! Without further ado, here's the next chapter. Hope you like it, and please let me know what you think! :)

* * *

The moment Riley told Remus she knew about his condition, he thought he had lost a friend. Ironically, that day, he won another best friend. When he thought her knowledge of his situation would change the dynamics of their friendship, he wasn't entirely wrong. Their relationship did change, as it developed into a never-ending cycle of giggles, blushes and staring during class that put even Sirius' fan club members to shame. Over the course of the following weeks, Riley showed more interest in spending time with Remus, and he fixed his gaze on her far too long to be considered socially acceptable.

Remus noticed a different demeanor in her whenever they were alone. What it was he didn't know, for he wasn't used to it. He would normally consider it pity, or in the worst case scenario fear, but the way Riley looked at him was different. She looked at him like he was the only person in the room, and he looked at her likewise, because in a way, he felt like she truly was the only person for him.

The stolen glances and the soft touches were definitely not overlooked by their friends. Even though Riley and Remus chose to live in oblivion, too scared to go beyond that, it was impossible to ignore the affection they had grown towards each other.

* * *

December arrived and with that came the spirit of Christmas. Students were excitedly making plans. Most would spend the Holidays at home or overseas, passionately gloating about their cottages in the Alps. Perhaps that was just Avery…

However, while Riley read the letter her parents had sent her, the group Riley envied the most were those who would spend the Holidays at Hogwarts.

" _Dear Riley,_

 _We're so glad to hear you liked our treacle tart, we tried to follow granny's recipe as best as we could so we're happy we could honor her and cheer you up a bit. We know how much you miss her…_

 _On a lighter note, as you know, the traditional Ward's Christmas dinner will be held on Christmas Eve and we already took the liberty to send an owl to Millie's parents. Can't wait to see her, you haven't mentioned her on your previous letters. We miss her. Yet, whom you've mentioned a lot on your letters were those four boys, Remus, James, Sirius and Peter. We'd love to meet them and their families, so please invite them to the dinner. Your father is exceptionally excited to meet them. You know how he is when the subject is boys, he wants to make sure his daughter is making the right choices._

 _Anyways, we're so excited to see you and finally meet your new friends._

 _Much love,_

 _Mum."_

Riley groaned as she re-read those last words _"we're so excited to see you and finally meet your new friends"_. As much as she loved those boys, she couldn't deny they brought chaos with them wherever they went and her parents would never approve of her friendship with _burnouts_ \- as her father would say. Her parents are the definition of uptight and just the thought of having the Marauders standing in the same room as her parents, was making Riley want to discharge the contents of the breakfast she was eating.

"Why the long face?" she heard an approaching voice ask. James had spoken as the four boys made their way to their usual spot on the table. James and Sirius sat on each of Riley's sides while Remus and Peter sat in front of them, all quickly taking some food from the table and devouring it as if they hadn't eaten in weeks. Yap, she couldn't wait to spend a meal with them and her parents at the same table.

"Huh... nothing. What are you lot doing for Christmas?" Riley asked.

"Well, Sirius and I are going to spend it at my house, nothing exciting, really." James spoke with his mouth full.

" _Nothing exciting?_ " Sirius asked as if someone had just offended his Quidditch skills. "You should be grateful your parents invited _you_!" teased Sirius earning a punch on his arm from James who almost hit Riley as well seeing she was seated between the boys.

"Well, I'm going to my family's Chalet in France. It's going to be exquisite." Peter spoke naturally, still munching on his food.

Everyone stopped their tracks and glared at him. Sirius hung his mouth open so much, a bit of sausage fell off it.

" _France?"_

" _Chalet?_ "

"Are we just going to ignore the fact that Peter knows the word _exquisite_?" inquired Remus.

Peter finally looked up from his food. "What?" he asked, as if he had just said the most natural thing in the world. "Oh look! Baked beans!"

"Anyways…" Riley spoke after a few moments of silence as the initial shock wore off. "Remus, what are you doing for Christmas?" she smiled at the boy. She felt especially nervous about having him in his house, not due to the fact that he might be indelicate, for she was sure Remus was possibly the most polite boy she had ever met. The only reason Riley was so nervous was because her father might scare him off. Especially if he saw what Riley had planned on giving him for Christmas.

"I'm just going to spend Christmas with my parents, not as _exquisite_ as a night in a French Chalet, that's for sure." he joked earning a laugh from the table. Except from Peter who was too focused on his food to notice anything else.

"Well… I was wondering… my parents usually throw a dinner on Christmas's Eve with all our family and their friends, and since I've mentioned you guys on a few letters they wanted to invite you and your families to join us."

"I can't but merci." smiled Peter.

" _Who are you?!"_ shouted Sirius.

"Do you talk a lot about us in your letters, Riley?" James smirked, raising his eyebrows. "Or do you focus more on one of us?" he said, motioning to Remus.

Riley rolled her eyes but couldn't stop a smile appearing on her face as she glanced at Remus - who displayed a faint blush on his face. The boys had been particularly annoying with all the teasing ever since they saw Remus and Riley cuddled up on his bed in the Hospital Wing, and the way they had been around each other ever since that day. But as much as Riley complained, she couldn't stop but mentally thank the boys since that meant she could see Remus that flustered. It was adorable.

"Are you guys going or not?" she asked, ignoring James' comment.

"On one condition." James quickly stated.

Riley glared at him. "You do know I really don't insist on you coming, right?"

This time James was the one to ignore her comment, "You invite Lily as well."

"Well, I was going to anyway." Riley said earning a _YES_ from him. "But behave!"

"When have I ever not been a gentleman?" he said which made Riley glare at him. "I promise. Count us in, I'll owl my parents later."

"Me too." Remus smiled. "I'm really excited to meet your parents."

"You better make a good impression on your future in-laws, mate." Sirius said earning a kick on his leg from Remus and a punch on his stomach from Riley.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Remus lied, he wasn't excited, he was immensely nervous. The time for the Ward's Christmas dinner had quickly took place after an uneventful ending of term and Remus was feeling skittish by the sole thought of meeting Riley's parents, he wanted to make a good impression and his tie wasn't helping his case. He was currently in his bedroom, nervously fidgeting with it, trying to work out where which piece of fabric went.

He heard a knock on his door and his mother came in, she was wearing her best dress, a long green one she had bought for her cousin's wedding almost a decade ago. It was old but looked very recent, it was no surprise, after all Remus' parents taught him to take good care of his belongings since they didn't have much.

She gave him a smile noticing how determined her son was on looking his best for dinner. She had never seen him so keen on making a good impression and knew there could only be a reason behind his motives, a girl.

"Remus, sweetheart, we're going to be late." she said moving to his place in front of the mirror and effortlessly fixed his tie. Remus thanked her, relieved. "You look nervous." she spoke, a smirk playing on her features.

Remus anxiously chuckled "Not at all. Let's go, don't want us to be late." he spoke, quickly making his way out of the bedroom, trying to avoid his mother's remarks.

"Remus!" she called. Remus turned around and saw her with Riley's present in her hands.

"Wouldn't want to forget about this, would you?" she smirked, a vast blush making its way over his face as he quickly retrieved the gift from her hands.

* * *

It was seven p.m. and the house was packed with high spirits. Lily had turned up with her parents at the same time as James and Sirius, much to her disappointment.

Riley quickly made her way to her friends as she saw James conversing with Lily's parents in order to stop any foolish things he might say to them, but that wasn't the case as she saw the face Lily was wearing. What Riley thought was a frown, was purely a face of shock while she listened to James talk with her parents.

"And then she hexed me!" he spoke, receiving big laughs from Lily's parents. "To be quite frank, it's remarkable how she does it. She's a very talented witch, you should be very proud, you did an amazing job raising her."

"Oh, James you flatter us." Lily's mum smiled.

"Come, son. I want to ask you all about Quidditch." Mr. Evans said, as they made their way to the lighted garden along with Mrs. Evans, where tables could be found with entries. James turned to the girls and Sirius who were wearing expressions of shock as he excitedly mouthed, " _he called me son!"_

"Hm…" Riley mumbled. "What just happened?"

"Potter… he… he just charmed my parents." Lily muttered. "Without _actually_ using charms."

"Oh Merlin." Sirius broke down in laughter. "Who knew Lily's parents would approve of James before she did." he said between chuckles.

"Oh, shut up." Lily hissed making her way to her parents and James, leaving Riley and Sirius laughing at the episode.

"So…" Sirius started, as the laughter subsided. "Do you have any fit relatives?"

Riley hit him in the stomach earning a glare from her parents, who were talking with Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

"What is it with you and hitting me all the time?" Sirius grunted, touching his stomach to relieve the pain.

"What is it with you and being an idiot all the time?"

"I'm a Black, it's in my blood! Now if you excuse me, I have some business to attend to." he spoke as he eyed Kate, Riley's older cousin talking to Wesley and his friends. Riley rolled her eyes as he made his way towards them, hugging Wesley as if he was his own brother in order to impress the 18 year old.

Riley was about to check on James and Lily when she heard the doorbell. She made her way to the entrance hall and quickly glanced through the peephole - it was Remus and his parents. Riley rapidly checked her reflection on a family picture, smoothed out her dress and opened the door with a big smile.

"Hello! Merry Christmas!"

"Hello, dear." Remus' mum greeted.

"Please, come in!" Riley said as the family entered the house.

"My name is Lyall, it's a pleasure to meet you." Remus' dad introduced himself shaking Riley's hand. "You must be Riley."

"Yes, I am. The pleasure is all mine." Lyall looked exactly like Remus. He had the same charming features as his son. The same dirty blond hair - that was now becoming grey - and the same warm, hazel eyes.

"We've heard so much about you, Riley." Remus' mum spoke, embracing her in a big hug, surprising Riley. "I'm Hope." Letting go of their embrace, Riley admired her. Hope was a beautiful woman, well in her thirties. She looked the opposite of Remus, her hair long and dark, her eyes a beautiful shade of brown but there was something Hope had that she definitely passed on to her son - her loving smile.

"It's lovely to meet you." Riley spoke. "Make yourselves at home! The living room is right down the hall to your left," she told them as Remus' parents made their way through the house.

"Hi." Remus breathed, taking in her appearance. Remus couldn't stop but stare at her ever since she had opened the door. Her normally messy hair was now in place, in a half up, half down hairstyle, Remus had to restrain himself from touching her smooth locks. She was sporting a red dress that suited her undoubtedly well, Remus not used to seeing her in such clothes, quickly returned his line of vision to her face after he had admired some parts of her body the uniform didn't do justice, blushing a bit at the thought of being caught. The dress was the same colour of the lipstick she was wearing, making her lips look even more inviting than Remus usually thought they were. "You look beautiful."

Riley blushed at his compliment. "Thank you, Remus. You look very handsome yourself," she said earning a nervous chuckle from him. "Come! You won't believe who James is talking to." beamed Riley as she intertwined her arm with his and led him to the living room, making Remus' stomach feel tingly from her touch.

* * *

The meal was a series of expected events. James was the perfect gentleman to Lily and her parents, Sirius disappeared along with Kate to Merlin knows where after the second dish and Remus was trying his best to charm Riley's parents, which was proving to be quite difficult when it came to her father.

"And what do you want to do after Hogwarts?"

Following dinner, Riley's dad decided to interrogate Remus after he saw how close he had been sitting next to his daughter. The two teenagers kept laughing and stealing glances throughout the dinner, which grabbed Mr. Ward's attention.

Remus gulped, knowing that whatever he might choose to do with his life after Hogwarts would probably never happen given his condition. He answered anyways, ignoring his mental debate.

"I hope to one day be a professor, sir." Remus nervously responded.

"Hm… what subject?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, sir."

Intrigued, Mr. Ward continued. "Why is that?"

"Well…" Remus spoke, carefully thinking about his answer. "Not only is it my favorite subject, I think it's very important to learn how to defend ourselves against dark magic… especially these days."

"Couldn't agree more, Remus." Mr. Ward spoke, content with the boy's answer. "If you'll excuse me, I need to talk with Mr. Johnson. I'll see you around."

"Of course." Remus smiled as Mr. Ward patted him on the back and made his way to Mr. Johnson. _I guess that's as good as it gets_.

Looking around the room, Remus tried to find some familiar faces among the sea of people who were there. He saw James and Lily having what looked like a civil conversation. Turns out there is such a thing as a Christmas miracle. He also noticed the absence of a certain raven-haired boy. Remus rolled his eyes, he was probably snogging Riley's cousin on a bathroom somewhere.

He cracked a smile as he witnessed his mother laughing along Mrs. Ward.

And then his eyes fell on her. Her usual smile was turned into a scowl as she was conversing with Nathan. Remus shook his head… Merlin, that boy was a brat.

"Mum says I'm really mature for my age. She has a point; in fact, I'm more interested in older women. They are more intriguing…" he heard Nathan say as he moved towards them.

"Remus!" Riley shrieked when she saw him approaching her. Remus chuckled when he saw the expression of relief on Riley's face, quickly getting the hint that she needed rescuing.

"Riley!" he imitated, "I thought you were going to give me a tour of the house."

"Oh, yeah! Sorry Nathan, we'll talk later." Riley said grabbing Remus' hand and making her way to a secluded area.

"Merlin!" she laughed, "Thank you so much, Remus! You just saved my life."

He chuckled, "Never took you for a damsel in distress."

"Well, I'm not!" Riley retorted with a smirk. "I just don't think punching Nathan in front of his parents would be appropriate." she added, earning a laugh from Remus.

Noticing her parents weren't watching them, Riley had an idea. "Hey. Are you up for an actual tour of the house?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Let's go!"

Grabbing his hand, they made their way up the stairs and down the hall of the first floor, opening a door that lead to the roof.

Remus let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. The view was beautiful from up there, the stars looked as if they could be touched from how close they appeared to be. In the dark sky, a beautiful quarter moon enlightened their surroundings. Riley squeezed his hand, looking at the moon as well. With her by his side, Remus didn't feel so scared of it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she asked, her eyes still focused on the view.

Remus looked at her and took in her features. "Yeah…" he breathed, "beautiful."

Feeling his eyes on her, Riley looked back at him and blushed. Turning her face to the moon she asked, "How was your last transformation?"

"Not good." Remus sighed making Riley's face fall. "This time I was home and didn't have the guys with me. I hate going back home and having to transform there. I could hurt my parents."

"I'm sorry." Riley felt useless since it was all she could think to say. "I'm glad you're okay, though. I'm really happy that you're here," she said, turning to him.

Remus smiled, "Me too. By the way, I got you something for Christmas."

"So did I."

"On three, we trade presents." Remus said. "One." he started.

"Two."

"Three!" they both called, retrieving the gifts from their enchanted pockets and placing them on each other's hands.

"Open yours first!" Riley excitedly beamed and Remus couldn't refuse her request once he looked at her eager expression.

He did as he was told and in his hands there was a cassette tape with the words "For Remus" written on the front, a heart moving around the paper as a result of a charm.

"It's silly, I know. I asked my mum for help and I chose some of my favorite songs, they remind me of you." she smiled. "Maybe we could listen to it together, one day."

Remus smiled. "Thank you, I'd love that." He blushed at the thought of Riley listening to the songs on that mix tape; songs, which she had admitted reminded her of him.

"Can I open yours now?" she requested.

"Of course!" Remus nervously said.

Riley gently removed the parchment that was covering her present and looked at the content that was being wrapped by it. It was a book.

" _Beauty and the Beast?"_

"It's a muggle fairy tale." Remus smiled. "My mum used to read it to me when I was younger, after I… after I was bitten." he sighed, a sad smile on his face. "Ever since then, she always tells me a prince like me is going to find his Belle one day." he chuckled.

Riley smiled. She felt like she was intruding on an intimate moment, realizing Remus had just shared one of his most prized memories, and not only that, he was inviting her to be apart of them by giving her the book.

"And have you?" she breathed, taking a step towards Remus, her finger tracing along his hand sending shivers down his spine. "Have you found your Belle yet?"

"I think I have," he whispered, his breath hitting her face from how close they were.

Remus leaned in. Eyes closing and heads delicately tilting, both their lips met in a shy kiss. Riley's arms gently made their way to Remus' neck and his hands came to rest on her waist, pulling her into an embrace so tight, they weren't sure where the other started and the other finished.

They got lost in the following kisses, skin burning from the other's touch. And in that moment, they forgot their surroundings, forgot about everything else, every problem they had. All they could focus on was each other and how their bodies seemed to fit like two puzzle pieces that had been lost and were finally found.


End file.
